Despite blogging for my own pleasure and being delighted that you come to visit, should you feel like making a purely voluntary donation, I’m fundraising.

It’s been quite a long time since I last made a direct appeal to you for donations. As always, I’m rather ambivalent about this request. On the one hand, I write because it’s both a pleasure and an outlet. I’m delighted every day that all of you come here to read what I have to say and, often, stay and talk about it. Your contributions are themselves of great value. On the other hand, it’s always nice to get money for the time and effort I put into this blog — something that’s true even though my work here is a great pleasure and entirely voluntary on my part.

Speaking of things being entirely voluntary, if you feel so inclined, I would be very happy if you made a one-time contribution to the Bookworm Room. If you don’t, no worries — just keep coming back to enjoy the content here. And if you really like what I have to say and think it contributes to the national conversation, share it with your friends.

Those of us conservatives who are signed up to Barack Obama’s mailing list enjoy the emails we get requesting campaign contributions. Up until today, each email has had a “hook” justifying yet another request for $3. For example, a couple of days ago, Michelle Obama said people should pony up $3 because Obama stays up late working for the American people:

Every night in the White House, I see Barack up late poring over briefings, reading your letters, and writing notes to people he’s met.

He’s doing that for you — working hard every day to make sure we can finish what we all started together.

(I wish people would send me $3 for every night I’ve stayed up late working. Mostly, I just get serenades played on the world’s smallest violin.)

When Obama picked a fight with the Catholic Church by insisting that Catholic institutions pay for birth control, sterilization, and abortifacients, the Obama campaign sent out innumerable emails that insisted that a $3 donation would protect “women’s health”:

As we count down to another critical fundraising deadline for this campaign, it’s important to remember this:

We always knew this election would be about two competing economic plans — whether we get to build on our progress or see it taken away.

But we had no idea we’d also be up against a social agenda that would roll back decades of progress, particularly for women’s health.

That means the consequences of this election will be felt in more ways than we’d counted on — and what you do this week will help decide what they are.

Will you donate $3 or more right now?

For those who were unmoved by the plight of women in Obama’s America, self-serving, fame-seeking Obama supporters were offered the opportunity to have their name in lights:

You deserve some recognition. And we can’t carve your name into the wall of this thing that we’re building — it’s bigger than that.

Here’s what we want to do:

Make a donation of $3 or more before March 31st, and we’ll put your name in the credits of Davis Guggenheim’s documentary, “The Road We’ve Traveled.”

This film is being used at field offices across the country to fire people up — because we know it’s one of the best tools we have. But grassroots supporters like you are the ones making sure our field offices have the resources they need to get the film out there.

And then, of course, there were the ubiquitous “meal with Barack” lotteries, the price of which has dropped to a meager $2:

Tonight at midnight, we’ll draw the first guest for Dinner with Barack.

If you enter today, you could be that person — and if not, you’ll be eligible for each of the other three spots as well.

That means your chances to win are never going to be better than they are right now.

If you’ve ever entered or considered entering this contest, now’s the best time to do it.

Donate $2 or whatever you can before midnight tonight to be automatically eligible to win that first seat.

Each plea has a talking point, one often tied to the headlines, whether the headline is a Romney speech, a Catholic Church statement, or a Supreme Court decision. Sometimes the plea just boils down to emotions, as with Michelle’s heart-rending image of a tired Obama, bowed over his desk late at night, answering letters. (An image interestingly at odds with a detailed New Yorker profile that depicts Obama as a rushed box-checker.)

As of yesterday, though, someone — the president or his campaign people — got tired. Someone just didn’t have the energy or imagination to create yet another reason to justify demanding $3 from Americans buffeted by rising fuel prices, a contracting labor market, astroturfed racial strife, hot mic revelations about backdoor deals with Russians, etc. So someone decided to cut to the chase. The heck with justifications, excuses, and heart-rending stories. Just give Obama the money, dammit!

Friend —

The last time I sent you a note like this, we were closing out 2011.

Today’s our first big political test of 2012.

If you can, please donate $3 or more before midnight tonight:

https://donate.barackobama.com/Today

Thank you.

Barack

To Hell with that 3/4 gallon of gas you were planning on buying for your broken-down rattle trap of a gas-guzzling car. Obama needs cash and he needs it now!

I have to give the Obama’s credit. Every time you think that they can’t sink any lower, that they can’t degrade the august White House any further . . . they do.